Starmap - Points of Interest, On the Hunt

Mission notes, Explorer Team 686:
The planet designation 9-XRL is according to the Vex-Cha Confederacy's stellar databases; the Alliance has no designation for this planet.
Based on the unit's research, the planet Altea is strongly believed to be somewhere within the Interior Expanse. It is most likely not in the rimward or anti-spinward border regions; no further information is known.

Map: Castle of Lions grounds

Source: Arusian Amateur Cartography Society

According to legend, the Castle of Lions either is, or lies on the site of, an ancient castle from the Arusian warring age. Though the warring age is itself something of a prehistoric myth on modern Arus, the castle's remarkably defensible position seems to bear this out: surrounded by water, mountains, and forest, only the Chayvos Pass in the southeast allows anything resembling large-scale access from the ground. The village of Dolce Vita, colloquially simply the Castle Village, is situated within this pass, and is believed to have originally been a defensive emplacement. The capital city of Falastol is far to the west of the castle, which is near the eastern border of the Crown Province.

The castle itself lies relatively near the pass, blocking easy access to the Meadows of Raimon. These meadows were once cultivated fields, providing crops to feed both the castle and the village. Wild descendents of some of these crops still grow among the grass and flowers of the meadows, most notably kayadruza—wild sweet corn—a delicacy unique to the castle.

Two distinct mountain groupings make up the Kyva Mountains. The volcanic Burning Ridge begins west of the castle, and runs far to the northeast until meeting the Sea of Savreth. Twelve active volcanoes are documented within this range, which includes multiple sub-ranges. The much smaller Thunder Ridge originated as part of the Burning Ridge, then was cut away from it by the Almer River. Much of this range's northern face still consists of sheer cliffs rising above the river valley; it is nearly impassable except at the Valley of Zohar, a narrow pass that features prominently in local lore.

The Golden Desert is not truly a desert by definition. It receives roughly the same precipitation as the surrounding fields, but the soil is remarkably poor, leading it to fill a similar ecological niche as true deserts. What happened to the soil is a matter of debate. Some scholars believe an ancient battle rendered it barren. More modern scientists find this unlikely, and there is some evidence of a prehistoric meteorite impact which may have contaminated the native soil, though this theory has its own problems. Regardless of its true source, the desert has historically resisted any encroachment from the neighboring fields.

The Forest of Altair is an enormous expanse of wilderness, stretching all the way to the neighboring province of the Seven Isles. Credible historical sources reference a forest road that once linked the Castle of Lions with the Seven Isles' royal manor, but this road has not been used for centuries. Over time, the border of the forest has encroached further on the castle, though no efforts have been made to beat back the wilderness.

Lake Almeria, and the Almer River that feeds it, is a recreational hub for both the castle and the capital. It also hosts a vibrant ecosystem, and provides the castle with abundant seafood. It should be noted this ecosystem is a relatively recent development in the region's history, and not the only one…

In the roughly five and a half centuries since the War of Golden Revival, the environment around the Castle of Lions has undergone peculiar changes; though the war had lingering effects across much of Arus, the castle seems to be the epicenter of the strangest. The storms of Thunder Ridge, already notable enough to name the region, intensified to a nearly constant state. Mount Kolipat in the Burning Ridge, thought long extinct, became active again, as well as forming a lava lake that has persisted since. The Forest of Altair became inhabited by vicious new predators known as banewolves; these creatures so readily preyed on travelers and hunters that the forest was deemed sacred and off limits. The Golden Desert has been slowly but steadily expanding. Perhaps the strangest of all, Lake Almeria has shifted from salt to fresh water, despite no change in the local water cycle which could account for the transition.

Though these remarkable changes have mystified scientists and caused great concern among religious authorities, the royal family has shown little distress. What is certain is that it all adds to the castle's ancient mystique, and thus, indirectly, that of the Crown.

Starmap - Points of Interest, Genesis

Mission note, Explorer Team 686: due to centuries of psychological studies and first-hand observation displaying that crews are most likely to get complacent on the trip home, Alliance policy for multiple-destination missions is to visit the most distant first and work backwards, when applicable.

Starmap - Alliance, Current (2416)

Planets of primary military, political, and/or cultural importance labeled. Alliance territory shaded in blue. Sector administrative capitals displayed as stars.

The Alliance's official star maps are centered around a swath of the Orion Spur known as the Interior Expanse. This ragged quasi-circular region extends from between roughly 600 to 900 light years from the original Glis homeworld of Gliris, and represents the area of space the Glis had explored and mapped at their empire's height. The space beyond the Interior Expanse is broadly known as the Outer Reaches.

Common misconception often designates the Interior Expanse as "Alliance Space," which is wholly incorrect. Officially, the Alliance does not in fact claim any space as a collective. Combining the claimed territory of Alliance planets results in what is colloquially termed Alliance space, a band that runs across the breadth of the Expanse, beginning and ending a short distance into the Outer Reaches on each side; this area follows the border of the Fourth Kingdom Incursion Zone, narrows significantly, then runs along the flank of the Ninth Kingdom Incursion Zone. There are a few Alliance planets on the other side of the Fourth's territory, and a few scattered throughout the rest of the Expanse, but much of the Expanse is mapped and nothing more.

Another common misconception is that either Alliance space or the Interior Expanse as a whole is fully explored. The Glis maps are nearly 30,000 years old, and while useful for navigation they are woefully outdated when it comes to determining what civilizations might exist elsewhere in the Expanse. Even within the territory the Alliance nominally controls, nebulae and other interstellar obstacles prevent a full and comprehensive exploration. Though the Alliance believes it has at least made contact with all starfaring races in its territory, new discoveries are a regular occurrence.

Earth itself lies some 13 light years deep within the Outer Reaches. Prior to the Alliance's formation, space around Earth had been mapped in three concentric circles: the innermost circle was divided into five sectors, extending 100 light years out from the planet. A second 100 light year zone outside the Five Sectors was known as the Rim, while everything outside the Rim was simply termed Deep Space. Much of this framework remains on Alliance maps; the Five Sectors exist as administrative districts, while the Rim is used as a regional name for the part of the Outer Reaches it overlapped with.

Alliance intelligence on Drule holdings is limited. Analysts believe there to be other Drule incursion/colonization zones beyond known occupied space. At the very least, the Tenth Kingdom is estimated to have a roughly 95% probability of holding Milky Way territory, owing largely to the fact that the Hydrans were once Tenth Kingdom colonists. Additionally, the border between the Fourth Kingdom Incursion Zone and Sixth Kingdom Colonization Zone is known to shift regularly; this map represents its most recent confirmed state.

No Man's Land is the buffer zone established with the Fourth Kingdom by the Treaty of Kandaloth. This 15 light year band extends around the Fourth Kingdom Incursion Zone from the edge of the Interior Expanse until reaching the Sixth Kingdom Colonization Zone. Hydros and Kolair were grandfathered into this buffer, as the Fourth Kingdom refused to acknowledge either planet as being unquestioned Alliance holdings; beyond those systems, no colonization is permitted, and both factions patrol heavily with unarmed craft to ensure no enemy warships violate the buffer.

A final cartographic feature of particular note is the Vex-Cha Confederacy, a large mercantile alliance nearly opposite the Five Sectors. The relationship between the Alliance and the Vex-Cha is warily cordial; both factions are very well aware the Alliance provides them a de facto bulwark against the Drules. In response the Vex-Cha often grant Alliance traders discounts on military equipment, though neither side officially recognizes this deal.

Historical Overview: Galaxy Alliance

Starmap: Historical Context, Alliance of Five Powers

The Galaxy Alliance, at its heart, is a mutual defense pact between native civilizations of the Orion Spur to resist the onslaught of the Drule Supremacy, particularly the Fourth Kingdom. It was formed from the merger of two other alliances: the Alliance of Five Powers, a military alliance forged by survivors of Drule attacks, and the United Alliance, a government designed to keep its own race's warlike tendencies in check. The original six races were the Glis, the Hydrans, the Kolaliri, the Biboh, the Quasnot, and the Earthlings.

Glis*: The regal, mouselike Glis are an ancient race, whose original empire had risen and fallen before most of the other founding races had a civilization. At their height they explored vast stretches of the Orion Spur, providing the basis for the navigational charts the Alliance still uses today. But the Glis Empire became decadent and shortsighted, and collapsed into internal warfare as thousands of merchant-warlords began squabbling for power. A rump state called the Glis Remnant eventually formed, its perceived weakness forcing it to be far more militaristic than its predecessor. It was this warlike remnant that was overrun by the Fourth Kingdom, but several of the strongest enclaves were able to evacuate. From that point on Glis civilization consisted of little more than large military convoys bent on vengeance, shadowing the Drule advance; they were the driving force behind the Alliance of Five Powers.

Hydrans: A navigational error led an unsupported Drule colony ship to become stranded over an inhospitable world they named Hydros, or 'Crucible'. Forced to go back to basics to survive and build a civilization, the Hydrans developed a new humility and a very different spirituality than their ancestors. Those ancestors were not impressed when they rediscovered their lost kin. Having retained their cultural emphasis on strength and discipline, as well as great knowledge of Drule tactics, the Hydrans were able to resist conquest or destruction easily enough. They were, however, pinned down on Hydros, with no ability to break free of the endless siege until a Glis convoy arrived.

Kolaliri: The Kolaliri, pale bipedal creatures with crystalline bones, have always been somewhat reluctant allies. They held a small empire until the Fourth Kingdom arrived; believing themselves to be greater than any other race, they had no real cultural capacity for dealing with adversity, making their early setbacks unrecoverable. After losing the bulk of their territory, they learned just enough humility to accept some other races as "also superior"—a designation gifted mostly to those they find useful. First among these were the Glis and the Hydrans, who aided their last stand on their capital of Kolair and thus earned their grudging respect.

Biboh: Resembling long, flexible sticks with near-vestigial limbs, the Biboh are believed to have been genetically engineered to serve aboard spacecraft. Whatever race created them is long since lost to time. Alone among the AFP, they were not a warlike society; tribes of Biboh wandered space as merchants and entertainers. When they found more and more of their usual planetary stops conquered by a race with no interest in peaceful overtures, they retreated to their few fixed supply outposts. There the Fourth Kingdom found and routed them. The survivors regrouped and fled, soon reaching the Quasnot homeworld of Quariot.

Quasnot: The Quasnot are huge, flightless avians, technologically primitive but socially and culturally complex. Like the Biboh they lived in a tribal society, but theirs was heavily centered on ritualized intimidation and honor duels. They had no form of spaceflight when the Biboh arrived, bearing dire warnings of alien invaders and offering to evacuate their planet. The Quasnot chose instead to fight. When the Glis-Hydran-Kolaliri coalition arrived they would become, in essence, the shock troops of the AFP, with contingents of Quasnot warriors being used as boarding parties against Drule vessels. Quariot itself became the capital and primary staging point for the AFP for over a century, as the Fourth Kingdom slightly changed the direction of its main thrust and ended up missing the planet.

Earthlings**: These clever bipedal primates were less than two centuries into their starfaring when they encountered the Drule juggernaut. Had the AFP not intervened, they would have met the same fate as so many other young interstellar civilizations before them. But the Earthlings were in the right place at the right time, and quickly proved to also be the right people: as a particularly fractious race not long removed from their latest internal conflicts, they had skills in mediation and diplomacy that the often-quarrelsome AFP sorely needed. Just as importantly, they had a sprawling network of colonies, offering an established administrative structure and vast resources. The Earthling government, the United Alliance, would become the bureaucratic framework the Galaxy Alliance was built upon.

After its founding, the GA would see success against the Fourth Kingdom and gain a large new membership, ultimately becoming a worthy enough foe for the Supremacy Council to engage in diplomacy. As the foremost native power of the Orion Spur, the GA quickly evolved into a formidable force for exploration, research, and trade, moving far beyond its original desperate roots. A future report will go into more depth on these topics.

*Contemporary records from the GA's founding sometimes refer to the Glis as the Glirians, owing to early translation errors. Glirian is a Glis word for 'survivor' or 'avenger', and while they frequently use it to describe themselves it is not the name of their race.

**Earthling is the official demonym for interstellar communication, but Earthlings rarely use it among themselves; 'human' is the most common domestic term.